Vehicle steering mechanism



June 24, 1941. P BEEMER 2,246,833

VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISM Original Filed Jan. 19, 1934 INVENTOR E aZ 7f 5 6 76,!

BY Q l A TTORNE Y5.

Patented June 24, 1941 VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISM Paul K. Beeiner, Inglewood, Calit, assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Original application January 19, 1934, Serial No.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 707,242. Divided and this application September 17, 1938, Serial No. 230,370

4 Claims.

2,154,558, dated April 18,1939 which'issued from my application Serial No. 707,242, filed January 19, 1934 and is directed particularly to my improved means of connecting the steering tie rod or tie rods with a steering force applying member.

One object of my invention is to provide improved tie rod connecting means which will transmit the steering forces from the force applyingmember to the tie rods while dampening objectionable vibrations and shocks which would otherwise be transmitted mostly from the road wheelsto the force applying member and thence to the usual steering hand Wheel Where such vibrations are annoying to the vehicle driver. A further object is to provide a dampening means which will protect the steering mechanism itself in an improved manner against undue shocks and jolts.

Another object of my invention in a more limited aspect is to provide an improved dampening means, preferably in the form of a rubber body or equivalent non-metallic deformable mass of material, which is so arranged as to transmit steering forces therethrough to a pair of tie rods whereby a multiplicity of rubber bodies is rendered unnecessary. In addition I may also arrange the dampening thrust-transmitting rubber body so that it forms a common pivot support for the adjacent inner ends of the tie rods.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following illustrative description of several embodiments thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my steering system.

Fig.2 is a sectional elevational view taken as indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional plan view at the connection of the inner ends of the tie rods.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modification of the Fig. 1 steering system.

Fig.5 is a sectional elevational view taken as indicated by line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional plan view of the Fig. 4 arrangement further showing the connection at the inner ends of the tie rods.

Referring to the drawing, reference character In illustrates the front steerable wheels of the vehicle which is more fully shown in my copending application aforesaid, Each wheel is rotatably mounted on a steering spindle knuckle H having a rearwardly extending steering arm l2 for imparting steering movement to the wheel about the king pin it which mounts the knuckle on the axle, a portion of which is shown at I4.

Each axle Il may be sprung independently of the other in any suitable manner and as the suspension system of my aforesaid copending application does not form any part of this invention, I have omitted the suspension from my present illustration especially as my steering system may be used to advantage with any desired type of wheel suspension.

The steering arms l2 are operated by a pair of tie rods l5 which are pivotally connected at their inner ends to accommodate rising and falling movements of wheels l0 and also to accommodate a lateral shifting of the tie rods by movement of some suitable type of steering force transmitting member which thrusts through a body of insulating material in transmitting the steering force to the tie rods.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 the outer end of each tie rod'l5 has the customary ball and socket joint connection at IS with a steering arm l2 and the inner end of each tie rod is formed with an approximately cylindrical socket portion ll. These sockets are overlapped in the direction of the lengths of tie rods l5 and are maintained spaced from each other by a body I8 of non-metallic deformable material, such as rubber composition.

An idler guide arm or link I8 is pivotally mounted by a pivot pin 2|! on a cross member 2i of the vehicle frame and this link has a bearing 22 at its rear end for receiving a spindle 23 to which a drag link 24 is connected. The lower end of the spindle 23 is enlarged to provide a cylindrical bearing portion 25 spaced within the socket portions H. The rubber body I8 is interposed between bearing 25 and each of the sockets l1 and also separates the sockets from each other. The rubber body 18 may be preferably molded in place and vulcanized to bearing 25 and sockets II. It may thus be seen that the pitman 28 is connected directly to the tie rods l5 through the link means 23, 24.

The spindle 23 may rotate about its own axis 26 and about the axis of pin 20 but is not permitted other angular movement relative to the vehicle frame. Drag link 24 has its outer end connected by a ball and socket joint at 21 to the steering force transmitting pitman arm 28 operated through the usual gearing in housing 29 from the steering shaft 35.

Thrust from the pitman arm 28 is transmitted through drag link 2| to hearing 25 thereby acting through the vibration dampening body It to operate tie rods l and steer the wheels Ill. The tie rods are universally mounted at their adjacent inner ends by the rubber body It which accommodates pivoting of each tie rod approximately about the common point 3| on axis 25. The resilient body ll also serves to absorb and dampen shocks and vibrations tending to 'be transmitted from the wheels ll through the tie rods l5 and drag link 24 to the pitman arm 28 and shaft 3|! to the hands of the vehicle driver, the upper end of shaft 30 carrying the customary steering hand wheel 32. The body l8 also prevents damaging shock transmission from the wheels I to the steering parts between hand wheel 32 and bearing 25.

It can be seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 that the rubber connects tie rods l5 directly to drag link 24 and thus is disposed so as to be subjected to very little angular deflection throughout the normal operating range of the steering linkage. Thus a flexible joint is obtained without the operator having to overcome the elastic resistance incident to twisting rubber joints through large angles.

In Figs. 4 to 6 the idler guide link I9 is swingingly mounted at 20' and carries the longitudinally spaced downwardly extending arms 33 and 34 each provided with a ball or spherical portion 35 respectively adapted to be connected to the tie rods l5 and to the drag link 24'. Each of the tie rods I5 and the drag link 24' are provided with generally correspondingly formed sockets 36 and 31 respectively, the sockets being of spherical shape and admitting the spherical ends 35.

Deformable bodies l8 of rubber or equivalent are interposed between spherical members 35 and each of the sockets 35 and 31, and preferably these bodies I! are molded in place and vulcanized to both the ball ends 35 and sockets 36 and 31.

The operation is substantially similar to that of the Fig. 1 arrangement in that'the deformable bodies l8 take up or damp vibration transmitted from the ground wheels, to prevent the transmission of shock to the steering mechanism and hand wheel. The rubber bodies It yield to permit angular movement of tie rods l5 as before. In this instance the drag link is pivoted to link It by a rubber body It separately from the pivotal connection of tie rods l5 to link I9.

I do not limit my invention, in the broader aspects thereof, to any particular combination and arrangement of parts such as shown and described for illustrative purposes since various modifications will be apparent from the teachings of my invention and scope thereoi. as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a joint for vehicle steering mechanism, the combination of a pair of tie rods; a pitman adapted to transmit steering force to said tie rods; and a link directly connecting adjacent ends of said tie rods with said pitman, said link connecting means including a body of non-metallic deformable material pivotally supporting said tie rod ends and adapted to dampen shock transmission from said tie rods to said pitman.

2. In a joint for vehicle steering mechanism, the combination of a pair of tie rods each having a socket portion at one end thereof; a member adapted to transmit steering force to said tie rods; and a single body of rubber disposed between said member and said socket portions and serving to transmit the steering force from said member to said tie rods, said body acting to dampen shock transmission from said tie rods to said member.

3. In a vehicle steering mechanism, in combination, a pair of tie rods disposed in a common horizontal plane and having spaced apart end portions overlapping one another in the direction of their lengths; a member adapted to transmit steering force to said tie rods; and a body of rubber connecting said member with said tie rods, at least a portion of said body being disposed in the space between said tie rod end portions.

4. In a vehicle steering mechanism, in combination, a pair of tie rods disposed in a common plane and having spaced apart spherical end portions movable about a common center; a member adapted to transmit steering force to said tie rods; and a body of rubber connecting said member with said tie rods, at least a portion of said body being disposed in the space between said spherical tie rod end portions.

PAUL K. BEEMER. 

